About this Site

This site is the creation of a team of funding partners, researchers, computer and educational specialists, translators, revisers and administrators. It contains information drawn from archaeological sites, historical and archaeological artifacts and records preserved in museums, libraries, archives, and private and government collections.

Funding Partners

This website was made possible through the financial contributions of the following institutions:

3D Technology Production Partners

Arius3DArius 3D scanned a collection of Norse artifacts from L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site in Newfoundland, and created 3D digital archive copies of these artifacts. The archived data was then used to develop web and publishing models as well as 2D renderings for print applications. To add a new and even more powerful dimension for the Vinland mystery, Arius 3D produced precise physical copies of the original artifacts for students and teachers to use in classrooms to enhance their learning experience. This leading-edge Canadian technology creates an environment where Canadian students can examine, manipulate and share these unique treasures in ways never before possible. Arius 3D also created 3D flybys of the L’Anse aux Meadows site while partner Sheridan Visualization Institute created 3D reconstructions for the Vinland Mystery.

We were privileged to be able to apply this Arius 3D Foundation System to the Vinland mystery site. It is the only technology in the world that captures scientific-quality data by measuring both geometry and colour on a point by point basis from the surface of the object, with each point being as little as 100 microns apart.

Visualization Design InstituteThe 3D reconstruction of the L'Anse Aux Meadows Viking site was produced by the Visualization Design Institute (VDI) of the Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Oakville, Ontario. The 3D artists were Jonathan Eger and Damian Domagala. The game engine programming was produced by Matthew Rogers and Jon Maur. The project was directed by Bob Jones, interactive learning designer for VDI.

Staff – Vinland Site

This site is the result of work by many people. Birgitta Wallace, archaeologist now retired from Parks Canada, developed the site content and translated some of the documents from Icelandic to English. Terry Murray-Arnold saw to the submission of the documents to the database and developed the site layout together with Amanuel Moges and John Lutz. Shannon Lewis Simpson and John Lutz revised and proofread modern texts written in English. Françoise McNeil translated the documents from English to French with special collaboration from Lucie McNeil, Option Environnement. Marie Gagnon proofed the translated texts.

Ruth Sandwell created the teachers’ guides and handouts for the Vinland site, with input from Birgitta Wallace.

Design

The website design by Sabine Berg of Hot House Marketing & Design in Victoria is based on a book cover developed by Vis-à-Vis Graphics showing a map of Vinland created 1605 by the Dane Hans Poul Resen. The flyover was formed on maps and photographs provided by Parks Canada Agency. The Icelandic reading of a passage describing the finding of grapes from the Saga of the Greenlanders is by Dr. Gísli Sigurðsson of the Arnamagnean Institute in Reykjavik.

Technical Production

Technical Advisors: Scott Gerrity and Stewart Arneil

Programming: Amanuel Moges

Website Markup: Dennis Lee, Sunpreet Jassal and Naomi Eichenlaub

Editorial and Database: Carolyne Blanchard

Administration

Merna Forster, Executive Director

John Lutz, Ph. D., Co-director

Ruth Sandwell, Ph. D., Co-director

Peter Gossage, Ph. D., Co-director

Françoise McNeil, Translation Co-ordinator

Special Thanks

Special thanks go to friends and colleagues who have given generous permissions for use of their texts and images, Jette Arneborg, Tracy Breton, Ólafur Guðmundsson, Ole Guldager, Richard Hall, Johannes Hertz, Icelandic Review, Judith Jesch, Stephen Loring, Halldór Ólafsson, Priscilla Renouf, Birgit Sawyer, Peter Schledermann, Kirsten Seaver, Kevin Smith, John Steinberg, Jim Tuck, and Helgi þorláksson. Steffen Stumman Hansen gave full access to his collection of photos from Greenland and the Faroes. Thanks also to Gísli Sigurðsson for reading and recording a passage from the Saga of the Greenlanders and to Loretta Decker of Parks Canada for the filming of video clips of reenactors at L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. The Rhode Island Historical Society gave permission to quote one of their journals. Thanks also to Ron McDonald, Manager of Cultural Resources Management, Parks Canada, Janet Stoddard, Collection Manager, and Robert Shears, Collection Specialist, Atlantic Service Centre, Parks Canada Agency, for their generous assistance with digital recording of the L’Anse aux Meadows artifact catalogue; to Geoffrey Hancock, Parks Canada Superintendent of Historic Sites in Western Newfoundland and Labrador, and Loretta Decker, Communication, Visitors Services, and Heritage Presentation Coordinator, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. Our sincere thanks also go to the Canadian Archaeological Association for allowing the launch of this website to be part of their Annual Meeting in St. John’s, 2007, and to Dr. Shannon Lewis Simpson, Memorial University of Newfoundland, who lent a helping hand wherever needed. Finally, we thank our spouses Rob and Karin for their support and indulgence during long and hectic work hours.